Here are some tips for celebrating winter holidays, such as Christmas and Hanukkah, when your child has type 1 diabetes, including non-candy stocking stuffers, carb counting for candy, and gift ideas for T1D kids and the school nurse.

Image: Pixabay

The holidays can be daunting, especially for parents of children recently diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. You may think that you need to change some of your traditions, especially if they are food-based. The reality is that you can make almost anything work.

You just got through Halloween and Thanksgiving. Maybe things went smoothly; maybe you learned a thing or two.

Here are some posts that I have written that I think will be particularly useful for newly diagnosed and veteran diabetes families alike.

Stocking Stuffers and Gift Ideas

I always find holiday candy in our pantry months later that has gone uneaten. I’m sure at Valentine’s Day there will still be some leftover Christmas candy. Many parents (and this has nothing to do with diabetes!) are reducing the amount of candy they give their kids and substituting non-candy items. Read 30+ Non-Candy Stocking Stuffer Ideas.

Holiday Decorating

Why not deck the halls with ornaments made from diabetes supplies such as used pods? We’ve been hanging these ornaments on our tree year after year. Read Holiday Decorating With Medical Waste.

We had so much fun creating these crafts for T1 Everyday Magic. Take a look at the tutorials for making reindeer ornaments and a wreath using diabetes supplies. Read Turn Your Diabetes Trash Into Holiday Treasures on the T1 Everyday magic website.

Image: Pixabay

Carb Counting and Christmas Candy

Much of the food served at Christmas and other winter holiday celebrations is the same as that served at Thanksgiving. Here is a list of carbs counts. Read Carb Counting At Thanksgiving.

Don’t fret about Easter… here are some resources that will help you get through it, especially if this is your first holiday with type one diabetes. Includes over 100 non-candy Easter basket ideas!

Photo: Pixabay

Non-Candy Ideas: Don’t want to fill your child’s Easter basket with a ton of sugar? I have a creative list of over 100 non-candy items that you can give your child…for kids from preschool to high school!

As parents of children with type 1 diabetes, we can empathize with parents of children with food allergies. This is why D-Mom Blog supports the Teal Pumpkin Project to notify parents and their kids that we have non-candy Halloween treats.

Image Copyright D-Mom Blog

“Every child should be able to experience the joy and tradition of trick-or-treating on Halloween. But kids with food allergies are often left out of the fun, since most candy is off limits.”

Sound familiar?

The first Halloween after a child is diagnosed with type 1 diabetes can be particularly tough on both the child and her parents. The d-kid can’t just eat a bunch of candy with wild abandon. Kids on multiple daily injections (MDI) might have to get an extra injection if they are eating their Halloween candy outside of a normal meal time. And getting an extra injection isn’t exactly fun!

Our family has long been a proponent of non-candy treats, even before Q was diagnosed with diabetes. We have fun picking out non-candy toys and trinkets to hand out. And we usually stock up when leftovers are on deep discount the first week of November.

So why do I think all of us d-moms and d-dads should support the Teal Pumpkin Project even though our kids with diabetes can eat candy (with insulin to cover it, of course!)?

Because we get it.

We totally get what it’s like to have a child with a life-threatening medical condition. We totally get that some kids can’t put something in their mouths without parent approval (for us it’s for carb count, for a child with food allergies it’s to make sure it’s safe). We totally get the stress that special occasions can bring…even though they are supposed to be fun!

So let’s tell the kids with food allergies (and their worried parents!) that we’ve got their back this Halloween.

Summary: Here are over 100 non-candy Easter basket ideas for kids with type 1 diabetes, celiac disease, or food allergies. Or just for parents who don’t want to load their kids up with candy and sugar!

I know you are fretting about what to give your child with type 1 diabetes or food allergies this Easter. Perhaps it’s your first Easter dealing with this medical condition and your anxiety is on high.

Don’t worry. You’ve got this.

Your child with diabetes or food allergies can have just as much fun because candy doesn’t have to be the focus.

(And even before our own child’s diagnosis, candy wasn’t the focus in our family.)

My suggestion is to treat all the kids equally. If one gets a chocolate bunny or Peeps, they all get a chocolate bunny or Peeps. Insulin can be given for the candy (and if your child gets injections, you can easily add the carbs to a meal so that she’s not getting an extra injection). And there are companies that make chocolates free from some of the top allergens.

This list includes many items that are inexpensive and range from $1 to under $5. There are a few items which may be more. Many can be found in the dollar aisle or seasonal/Easter aisle and lots of these come in cute Easter or spring themes.

Some of the items are small enough to fit inside of plastic Easter eggs if you are planning a hunt.

We usually do an Easter scavenger hunt. The Easter Bunny leaves clues and in each location there is one item for each child. The kids work together to find each surprise.

Although these are non-candy options, our kids do receive a chocolate bunny. My child with diabetes gets the same amount of candy as my child without diabetes. They both eat a small chunk of chocolate during the week with meals.

Because what’s Easter without a chocolate bunny?!

(I continue to update this list! The list is now has surpassed 100 items, so I’ve divided them up by category.)

Non-Candy Easter Basket Ideas

New Ideas

Blind bags

Thomas Mini blind bags

Minecraft Mini blind boxes

Tsum-Tsum blind bags

K’nex Super Mario mystery bags

Super hero action figures

Uno game

D&D dice

Small Items

Coins

Stickers

Tattoos

Toys and Games

Travel play packs

Slinky

Silly Putty

Play-Doh

Kinetic sand

Small bouncy balls

Hot wheels or Matchbox cars

Train engines

My Little Pony

Littlest Petshop

Mini Barbie

Small stuffed animal

Rubber duckies

Schleich animals

Schleich dinosaurs

Puzzle

Board game

Silly Bands

Pokeman Cards

Trading cards

Baseball cards

Legos

Lego City set*

Lego Friends set*

Lego Chima set*

Lego minifigures

Lego separator

Handful of Legos from the pick-a-brick wall placed into a plastic egg

*These small Lego sets are usually under $5 and can be found with the seasonal items or at the checkout. They come in a bag instead of a box.

I shared my 30+ Non-Candy Stocking Stuffer Ideas with you recently. Q is now a teenager (what?!). A reader asked for ideas for teens and here are a few we came up with. These would also be great for college-aged students.

My kids’ stockings usually have a combination of candy and small items. I know many parents of kids with type 1 diabetes or food allergies prefer to include non-candy items in stockings, so I’m sharing some ideas of easy-to-find and not-very-expensive toys and trinkets.

Tip: Look near the Christmas/holiday aisle for displays of specially packaged items which are often the right size to stuff into stockings.